All Hallow's Eve
by Nomisaurus Rex
Summary: Sakura's happy. Sakura's oblivious. Karin's worried. Karin's horrified. They're her 'friends.' But they're obsessed.


**All Hallow's Eve**

A change was coming.

Sakura could practically _taste_ it in the bleak, biting October wind that sunk through the mesh shades hung over her window. She didn't know exactly how, but the way her stomach coiled up and her head seemed light and blank, just gave her one of those feelings. The kind that made her sit up abruptly and glance around her bedroom before inhaling sharply-ignoring the sting of cold air washing down her throat-while pushing aside the sheer gossamer hangings that draped around her. For some strange reason, she wanted to make sure she was _safe_, because everything around her felt…felt different. The French dictionaries and bi-lingual encyclopedias piled on her mahogany dresser, the Anne Rice novels, the report cards and movie tickets and pictures of her friends pinned up on the wall. They all seemed foreign, all seemed-

Sakura shrugged, deciding that it was the fresh air-conditioner blowing through the vent on the peach hued wall, directly adjacent to the ceiling. Her sister had probably left it on all night, the dunce. She kicked away the plush white covers-which, she had to remind herself, were not going to turn into corpse dark fingers and pull her into some magically appearing portal.

Okay, she told herself, what the fuck ever. You wake up a bit disoriented and you're already acting like your own paranoid, unlucky, pink-haired little self. Just get up and get ready, they'll be here any minute.

Sakura hopped out of bed with great dignity, strolling stiffly to the bathroom. Her clothes were lying in a damp heap on the water-dappled turquoise tiles, and she bunched them up into a suitable size to lob at her laundry hamper before turning to the large mirror plastered carefully on the pastel yellow walls. She regarded her tousled reflection almost warily, then she leaned forward on her elbows, chin resting leniently in her palms, and whispered, "Just great."

Frowning-think positive, dumby!-Sakura grabbed her strawberry dotted toothbrush and set to work on her daily routine, only it seemed a bit more forced and grim.

Why, you might ask? Because her friends were _leaving_. Going. Gone. Leaving her behind in the dust. Most likely somewhere she could never find them, despite her ambition to travel the world, and they weren't coming back. It wasn't like she didn't have other friends. She was Sakura Haruno, cool and calm and slender. And she still had Ino, and TenTen, even Hinata, not to mention how well she got along with all of her fellow teammates in volleyball, and she was the student council president…

Sakura could tell she was switching back to her optimistic side. Even if she only had a day left with them, she would enjoy it to the fullest. Especially considering the fact that it was **Halloween**.

Yeah, you heard her. The thirty-first of October, hellz yeah!

The possibilities stretched out endlessly before her. They could stop by her favorite bakery(because, for some reason, they all seemed content to just go wherever she wanted to), and then the park, maybe even check out the new stores that had opened at the plaza. She had heard somewhere that there was a new bookstore…

Sakura was dragging a brush through her long hair with a smile when she felt the rush of wind, signaling the opening of the door.

Her older sister, Karin, had her hip resting on the doorjamb, arms crossed, a sodden dish rag dangling from her salon fingernails and an aluminum can of some sort tucked into the fold of her elbow.

"Are you going out?"

Now, Karin Haruno may not be that sharp, and she was weak, and deceptive, but she still cared about her little sister. Which was why she would try to warn her before it was too late.

Sakura sounded a lot like her sibling, which was about the only resemblance they had. Soft and languorous. Yet she always managed to sound excited, and her response was doubly so when she said, "Yeah! I mean, uh, yes. I'm going with…with-"

"The _Akatsuki_?" Karin guessed.

The rosette scowled slightly; Karin made it sound like a curse. "Yes, the Akatsuki. We're gonna go somewhere fun."

"Where are you going?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"And you're going to be out, all _alone_ with them?"

"Hey!" Sakura yelled defensively. Then after that, in a low murmur: "No. Sasuke and Neji and Haku are coming. Kimimaru said maybe."

Karin's eyes went wide, showing white all around her bright irises, and her hands shook. When she lunged forward, her long lavender nails scrabbled at Sakura's pale, pretty throat, and then they gripped at the lapels of her nightshirt and pulled her forward, so Sakura and Karin stared eye to eye.

"What the _hell_ was that for-!"

"Shut **up**. You can't go out! Cancel your plans-you _can't_ do that!" Karin screeched, but she sounded desperate.

"Look, sis, I didn't know you still liked Sasuke, but remember, we're just friends. I don't like-like any of them, actually…"

"That's not it!" The red-head snapped. "This is worse than I thought. My crush on Sasuke disappeared the moment-the moment I found out-"

"What's going on here?" This voice was one that didn't belong in the house. It was sleepy, cold, ethereal.

Sakura peaked over her older sibling's shoulder and grinned. "Sasori! Good to see ya! Well, me and my sis weren't making out, if that's what you were thinking."

Sasori couldn't help but smile gently. But he didn't laugh. In fact, his eyes were narrowed and his next words were spoken scornfully. "How are you today, Karin?"

"Fine." She spit out. She released Sakura's shirt and the pinkette's feet hit the floor with a plunk. Karin glared at her younger sister. "I'll see you later." And she spun on her heel and forcefully shoved her way past Sasori. He caught her by the arm roughly, and grinned.

_Maybe you won't_…

He shoved her out the door.

Karin stood there, and moments later realized those words hadn't come out of his _mouth_.

**I know. Its short. Don't bug me. Review. No, but seriously. Tell me what you think, and don't be afraid to put your ideas out there. Thanks for reading. Love you all. And stuff. No flames. More reviews, faster updates. I. Like. Doing. This.**


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